Michael Pouliot shares why vertical integration, disciplined buy boxes, and patience are key as multifamily heads into a major refinance cycle.

In this episode of RealDealChat, Michael Pouliot—fourth-generation real estate entrepreneur and founder of Carbon—breaks down what’s really happening in multifamily as the 2025–2027 maturity wall approaches.

We discuss raising capital ahead of distress, why the downturn took longer than expected, and how today’s opportunities are often coming from exhausted sponsors or lender takebacks. Michael explains why bringing property management in-house created millions in value, how repairing HVACs instead of replacing them changed asset economics, and why ownership mindset matters at every level of the organization.

We also dive into:

How a disciplined buy box saves thousands of underwriting hours
Why “rates will be lower next year” is the most common investor lie
How Carbon uses AI and custom GPT agents inside property management
Why location quality ultimately outperforms chasing high cap rates
What Michael learned from Wall Street’s “two strike” culture

If you’re investing in multifamily—or preparing for the next phase of this cycle—this conversation will sharpen your framework.

🌐 Learn more & subscribe to Michael’s newsletter: 👉 https://investwithcarbon.com

keywords: multifamily investing 2026, Michael Pouliot, vertical integration real estate, multifamily maturity wall, distress real estate cycle, apartment syndication strategy, property management optimization, multifamily buy box strategy, AI in property management, commercial real estate outlook, Carbon real estate, RealDealChat podcast

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